as the cue he gave.

Mauki came in for the largest share of the mitten. Never a day passed
without a caress from it. There were times when the loss of so much
cuticle kept him awake at night, and often the half-healed surface
was raked raw afresh by the facetious Mr. Bunster. Mauki continued his
patient wait, secure in the knowledge that sooner or later his time
would come. And he knew just what he was going to do, down to the
smallest detail, when the time did come.

One morning Bunster got up in a mood for knocking seven bells out of
the universe. He began on Mauki, and wound up on Mauki, in the interval
knocking down his wife and hammering all the boat boys. At breakfast he
called the coffee slops and threw the scalding contents of the cup into
Mauki's face. By ten o'clock Bunster was shivering with ague, and half
an hour later he was burning with fever. It was no ordinary attack. It
quickly became pernicious, and developed into black-water fever. The
days passed, and he grew weaker and weaker, never leaving his bed. Mauki
waited and watched, the while his skin grew intact once more. He ordered
the boys to beach the cutter, scrub her bottom, and give her a general
overhauling. They thought the order emanated from Bunster, and they
obeyed. But Bunster at the time was lying unconscious and giving no
orders. This was Mauki's chance, but still he waited.

When the worst was past, and Bunster lay convalescent and conscious, but
weak as a baby, Mauki packed his few trinkets, including the china
cup handle, into his trade box. Then he went over to the village and
interviewed the king and his two prime ministers.

"This fella Bunster, him good fella you like too much?" he asked.

They explained in one voice that they liked the trader not at all. The
ministers poured forth a recital of all the indignities and wrongs
that had been heaped upon them. The king broke down and wept. Mauki
interrupted rudely.

"You savve me--me big fella marster my country. You no like 'm this
fella white marster. Me no like 'm. Plenty good you put hundred
cocoanut, two hundred cocoanut, three hundred cocoanut along cutter.
Him finish, you go sleep 'm good fella. Altogether kanaka sleep m good
fella. Bime by big fella noise along house, you no savve hear 'm that
fella noise. You altogether sleep strong fella too much."

In like manner Mauki interviewed the boat boys. Then he ordered
Bunster's wife to return to her family house. Had she refuse